COBLESKILL BASEBALL SPITS HOME DOUBLEHEADER WITH CLINTON

The SUNY Cobleskill baseball team closed out a brutal portion of their schedule, that saw the team play eight games over a four-day period, by splitting a pair of NJCAA Region III Division III games with visiting Clinton Community College from Plattsburgh, NY at Fighting Tiger Field on Sunday; losing the first game 4-3, then rallying to win the nightcap by a 7-6 margin. The Fighting Tigers are now 11-16 overall on the season after the split.

In the opener the Fighting Tigers committed a pair of errors in the top of the sixth inning which led to four unearned runs off senior starter Dan Beck, Rotterdam, NY, Schalmont High School, turning a 2-0 lead into a 4-2 deficit. After the Orange & Black cut the margin to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by freshman second baseman Matt Greene, Albany, NY, Colonie High School, the home team stranded the potential tying run in the seventh at third base.

Contributing offensively for Cobleskill were: senior leftfielder Tristan Massalay-Ellis, Flushing, NY, John Bowne High School, who was 1-for-3 with a double, freshman designated hitter Tom Wiener, Montrose, NY, Hendrick Hudson High School, who went 3-for-4, senior first baseman Matt Hansen, Southold, NY, Southold High School, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and senior third baseman Nick Poleto, Albany, NY, Colonie High School, who was also 2-for-4 with an RBI. Matt Greene finished the day 1-for-3 with an RBI in the loss while freshman shortstop Sebastian LaMountain, Cobleskill, NY, Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, went 2-for-3.

In the nightcap, Cobleskill trailed 6-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh when Matt Greene reached on an error by the second baseman. Senior rightfielder Matt Guerrido, Goshen, NY, Warwick Valley High School, then singled on the hit-and-run sending Greene to third. Guerrido immediately stole second base; then a vicious single to leftfield by Tristan Massalay-Ellis drove in Greene and on a subsequent Cougar throwing error; Guerrido, with Massaly-Ellis taking second. A single by Tom Wiener gave the Fighting Tigers runners on the corners with no outs when Tom Hansen grounded to the Cougar third baseman who threw Massalay-Ellis out at the plate. With runners on first and second, freshman third baseman Eric Pietrowski, Cobleskill, NY, Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, laid down a perfect push-bunt between the pitcher and the first baseman to load the bases. Centerfielder Dan Beck then stepped into the batters box and laced the second pitch into right-center field scoring Wiener and Hansen and breaking a seven-game Cobleskill losing streak. 

On offense: Tristan Massalay Ellis was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Tom Wiener was 2-for-3, while Sebastian LaMountain went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Hero Dan Beck finished 1-for-3 with an RBI as did freshman catcher Nate Shelton, Walton, NY, Walton High School, who was also 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Freshman hurler Tim Capitummino, Schenectady, NY, Niskayuna High School, tossed a complete game striking out four and walking three to earn his first collegiate win.

The Fighting Tigers will next be in action on Wednesday April 23rd when they travel to Hudson, NY to meet the Twins of Columbia-Greene Community College for a Mountain Valley Conference doubleheader beginning at 2:00 PM.